The great buzz among marketers – and non-marketers – is social media, especially Facebook and Twitter. Below is a breakdown of demographic research that tells us the popularity of these two social networks and the profile of their users as of 2010.

Total Users

Facebook

500 Million (83%)

Twitter

106 Million (17%)

Log In Every Day

Facebook

41% (205 Million)

Twitter

27% (29 Million)

Log In Via a Mobile Device

Facebook

30% (150 Million)

Twitter

37% (39 Million)

Update Their Status Every Day

Facebook

12% (60 Million)

Twitter

52% (55 Million)

Gender

Facebook

Male: 46% (230 Million)
Female: 54% (270 Million)

Twitter

Male: 48% (51 Million)
Female: 52% (55 Million)

Follow a Brand

Facebook

40%

Twitter

25%

% Of Brand Followers that Will Purchase that Specific Brand

Facebook

51%

Twitter

67%

Income

Income

Facebook

Twitter

$0-$25,000

13% (65 Million)

17% (18 Million)

$26,000-$50,000

34% (170 Million)

33% (36 Million)

$51,000-75,000

30% (150 Million)

23% (24 Million)

$76,000-$100,000

12% (60 Million)

15% (16 Million)

$101,000-150,000

7% (35 Million)

7% (7 Million)

$150,000 or More

4% (20 Million)

4% (5 Million)

Age

Age

Facebook

Twitter

13-17

11% (55 Million)

4% (4 Million)

18-25

29% (145 Million)

13% (14 Million)

26-34

23% (115 Million)

30% (32 Million)

35-44

18% (90 Million)

27% (28 Million)

45-54

12% (60 Million)

17% (18 Million)

55+

7% (35 Million)

9% (10 Million)

Source: Digital Surgeons Report Dec. 2010

Who Tweets
8% of American adults who use the internet are Twitter users sharing their lives 140 characters at a time. Groups who are notable for their relatively high levels of Twitter include:

Young Adults – Internet users ages 18-29 are significantly more likely to use Twitter than are older adults.

African-Americans and Latinos – Minority internet users are more than twice as likely to use Twitter as are white internet users.

Urbanites – Urban residents are roughly twice as likely to use Twitter as rural dwellers.

Women – Women and the college-educated are also slightly more likely than average to use the service.